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Canada talks of shunning US 'bully' and going bilateral with Japan

CANADA is talking of going it alone in trade talks in a bilateral deal with Japan, accusing the US of acting like a "schoolyard bully."

Japan, like Canada sees protection of its dairy, poultry and egg sector as too vital to lose, and refuses to open its markets to America, which has become the world's biggest agricultural exporter.

In the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TTP) talks, Japan said it would not end agricultural tariffs, prompting US dairy farmers to oppose the pact unless the Japanese and Canadians opened their markets.

In response, Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said he saw more promise in negotiating a bilateral deal with Japan than working on the troubled Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The chances of TPP reaching an agreement look "50-50", Mr Ritz told Reuters, noting that the American delegation lacks congressional authority to sign a TPP pact.

Without the US signing "a bilateral deal like we've got with Korea now, directly with Japan, is far better"," said Mr Ritz.

Canada is bitter about a US food label law. Americans require grocers to label country of origin on meat, which makes Canadian beef and pork less attractive to US retailers, a practice that dampened exports.

"It's hard to have respect for the stance the Americans are taking on TPP when you look in the rear view mirror and you've got country-of-origin labeling staring at you," Mr Ritz said.